Kabul: An apparent suicide attack close to a government ministry in the Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday killed at least five people as staff were leaving the office in the evening rush hour, officials said.

A police spokesman said the explosion was believed to have been caused by a suicide attacker but had no further details.

Fraidoon Azhand, a spokesman at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development confirmed the attack had happened and said initial information suggested that at least five people had been killed.

"Apparently a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at the gate of our ministry. The target was our staff who were leaving to their homes," he said.

The attack was the latest in a seemingly unending series of blasts against civilian targets in Kabul and other major cities including Jalalabad, which has seen three major attacks in the past two weeks alone.

Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations reported a record number of civilian deaths from the conflict in Afghanistan with a 22 percent jump in casualties from suicide attacks during the first half of the year.